Praise, petition and gratitude. For me prayer has three legs but the first and most important leg is gratitude. He does not need praise, but we need to give it to him so that we can make sure we oriented toward him.
Petitions are important because we can define our needs and, in the process, understand them and how they relate to service of him, but he knows our needs before we can voice them, even before we discover them. We ask for our own sake, for clarity, if for no other reason. Gratitude fills the other gaps.
We praise because we are grateful.
We raise our petitions up and we are grateful he acknowledges them.
We thank him because we need to comprehend the bountiful blessings, mercies and graces he offers us.
As the Father says in the prodigal son, everything he has is ours. Thank you is enough. He does not need to hear it, but we need to say it. Every time we offer thanks we increase our ability to know the true meaning of happiness and joy.
We cannot say thanks without it reaping us rewards.
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